Troublesome Orcs by Idril ArFeiniel
by Idril Ar-Feiniel
Summary: Haldir is having a few issues with certain orcs.


_I want to say thank you to_ Luthien Saralonde who has graciously helped me edit and proof read this story.

_I also want to say that this is my first fanfic posted so bear with me if there are any errors, I do not claim ownership on ANY of the characters._

_Enjoy! _

_Troublesome Orcs_

_By_

_Idrail_

_Haldir was on boarder duty, he was alone,_ _suddenly, he heard a grunt. Looking into a grove of mellyrn, he saw a fearsome orc named Uglak, standing not fifty feet away! This one was able to kill three elves at once (which was no easy feat). Unfortunately for Haldir, he was the only one on border duty that week, and he was definitely not in the mood to fight. _

_Shivering in the sudden breeze, he thought to himself, "Goodness, it has gotten cold," his breath forming little clouds about his face. He noticed that the group of orcs behind Uglak were looking warily in his direction. 'They can see me!' he realized. 'I must be upwind of them.' _

"_Alright, boys. It's time to hunt some elf!" a hoarse, frigid voice shouted, others loudly voicing their agreement. They began to move toward Haldir's place amongst the branches. Scanning the group for archers and finding none, he sped quickly through the trees as fast as possible. Uglak, unfortunately, spotted him, and ordered his company to charge. Of course, Haldir was much faster than the orcs, and was able to make it to the barracks. _

"_Ranain, get them up! Uglak and his group are here! Palan, if you do not move your sorry elven buttocks within the next three seconds and fetch Trelan I will have you cleaning all the bathrooms for the next 3 months!" he bellowed, dashing toward Celeborn's office. _

_Not bothering to knock, he burst through the door, out of breath. _

"_Haldir! What in Elbereth's name…" Celeborn started, rising a bit from his desk. _

"_We are under attack! You must come immediately!"_

"_What?!" he cried out in alarm, leaping up immediately and going over to the window. "You're right!"_

_Soon, the elves were assembled into their positions high up amongst the branches, while the orcs were restlessly pacing down below. _

_Haldir stood, poised and listening. Within a split second, he had given the order to fire. Naturally, as they were Galadhrim and highly trained, all arrows had found their marks._

_As orcs thudded to the ground all around him, Uglak was made aware of his mistake-you merely can't take on elven archers without having archers of your own! As Treebeard would have said, he was too hasty. _

"_Never forget, I will get you for this, Marchwarden! I vow it!" he roared, his voice echoing in the valley. _

"_Well, Haldir. It seems as if you have a death warrant with the orcs," Celeborn chuckled. _

"_I sincerely hope that Uglak does not keep to what he says, though," he replied quietly. On the outside, Haldir appeared to be cool and composed, but inside, he was absolutely quaking at the prospect of coming face to face(or face to chest?) with Uglak once more, and most likely alone, at that. _

_Months passed, and once again we find Haldir on border duty, where the threat of his arch nemesis constantly clouded his keen elven mind. _

"_Maybe I should have listened to Aryanna and gone to Valinor with her…I might never see her again in this lifetime, maybe never again even in the next lifetime." _

_The thought of his beloved dying of a broken heart due to his own demise definitely put a large damper on his spirits for the day. _

_Sure enough, as Haldir knew he would, his opponent suddenly appeared, standing in the hot sun. _

"_Time to settle the score, Haldir of Lorien. Pray that I don't find you," he growled. Obviously, Uglak was not an orc to be trifled with. His sword skills were unmatched within his company, and he was without a doubt the largest of them all. Almost immediately, he zeroed in on Haldir's hiding place. _

"_I know you are there, Haldir. I can feel your presence."_

_Steeling his resolve, Haldir replied, "Uglak, you evil minion of Sauron, you shall not kill me. Leave, and if you value your pitiful life, you shall never return to the woods of Lothlorien ever again!"_

_The two came forward until they were face to almost-face…being an orc, Uglak was forever stooped over, though he straightened up as much as he felt like it when the elf drew near. _

"_Haldir, you knew me as an elfling, and even watched over me while I was growing. You allowed me to become a part of the Guard, but when the time came to do battle with Mordor, and I needed your aid, you were not there. You allowed me to be taken prisoner, and tortured to the extent where I became an orc. I learned though, that the life of an orc is much better compared to the life on an elf! For abandoning me to my fate though, I have sworn to kill you, and today I shall fulfill that promise!" _

_Haldir was absolutely shocked that Uglak was able to hold such an enormous grudge, and for such a long amount of time. _

"_I was detained by Lugburz, Uglak. You know that! There was no way I could have gotten to you!" he said._

"_Lugburz is a far better companion that you ever were, elf!" Uglak yelled his face grew red with rage, he drew his long black sword from the scabbard. _

_After thrusting and parrying each other's blows for nigh on half an hour, Haldir saw an opening, took it, and thwapped Uglak's head clean off his shoulders. _

'_I should really be getting back now,' he thought, grimacing. He was suddenly made aware of a gash along his rib cage. Blood was quickly staining the grayish material a dark purple color, and the pain was making itself known in a rather uncomfortable way. _

_Eventually, Haldir made it back, and encountered Palan. _

"_Ah, Lord Haldir! You are back! And erm…hurt, as well. You should really get a healer to look at that, you know. It seems deep," the younger elf said. _

"_Good to see you too, Palan. And I was just on my way there, thank you for your concern. Now I believe you have a date with a certain young she-elf, you should go to her, it is never good to keep a lady waiting! It never ends well."_

_Palan blushed, and continued on his way. _

_After Haldir was patched up by Fernin, the healer, he went to Celeborn to request a week or two of leave. _

"_Haldir, I truly wish I could give you two, or even more weeks, off, but we have the new recruits scheduled to arrive in a fortnight, and I simply cannot spare you. I can give you seven nights and three days total," Celeborn said. _

"_That will be fine, my lord. And erm…are they really that bad?"_

"_Let's just say they are completely new to this, and keep it at that."_

_He nodded in agreement. "Yes, indeed."_

"_Ah…Haldir. Last week, a group of orcs led by Lugburz came in and erm…managed somehow to kidnap your two younger brothers…our wardens did not arrive in time to save them."_

"_Then may I request your permission to track those pieces filth and retrieve them? They are only elflings, after all. We have been friends for years and years, Celeborn. Please let me do this."_

"_Alright. I give you permission, although I think you should confer with my lady wife first. She may offer more insight on this matter than I can."_

_Haldir nodded, then walked in the direction of the Royal Talan. _

_Meanwhile, as the group of fifty seasoned warriors was being assembled in Lorien, Lugburz was attempting…keyword attempting…to make Orophin tell him any battle planes Haldir might have told him. _

"_Now. All you need to do is tell me what your brother has been planning, and everything will be fine, you little-ouch! How dare you!" _

_Orophin, after receiving quite the nasty cuff on the chin from him, had thrown himself at Lugburz and attacked him as best he could without a weapon. _

_While this was happening, Haldir and his company had been running hard, and had now caught up to them. "There! I can see their camp!" he called out. _

_A cry from the group went up. "Elves! You bloody idiots! While you were fighting, they managed to come up undetected!"_

_Almost immediately, the fighting began. Eventually, it came to an end, and Haldir was reunited with his brothers. Suddenly, Ranain collapsed to the ground near the orc he had just killed. _

"_Ranain! You are injured!" Haldir said. "I told yo , no begged you not to come! Oh, why did you not listen?"_

"_Because," he rasped. "I have always fought beside you, my friend. This is not any different. I go now to a place of peace. Farewell, my friends." Ranain let out a last, shuddering breath, and was gone._

_His body was borne back to the Golden Wood with great sadness, and after his burial, Haldir murmured, "Until we meet again, Ranain."_

_The Lady had come up behind him and said, "Haldir, are you implying that you will be dying soon?"_

"_No, my lady. Only that, with each passing day in the Guard, there is more risk that I shall be slain in battle. That is all."_

_She nodded once, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and walked away. _

_Epilogue _

_Haldir stood on the battlements of Helm's Deep, staring out at the orc army in front of him. He had known in his bones that it would be his last battle, and when one orc had first stabbed him in the side, and then another smite a blow on his back, he gladly parted from the world, and to the Halls of Mandos, where he was welcomed by Ranain, those friends who had perished before him, and happiest of all, his parents. _


End file.
